Tag Archives: opinion
Four-year-old killed in desert safari accident
Four-year-old killed in desert safari accident Sajila Saseendran and Afkar Abdullah / 20 March 2014 Boy flung out as the 4WD in which the family was enjoying the desert safari turned turtle in the Madam area of Sharjah. A family picnic ended in disaster for an Indian couple when the vehicle in which they were enjoying a desert safari overturned on Tuesday evening, killing their only son instantly. The accident took place in a desert in the Madam area of Sharjah. Sources from the Dibba Hospital, where the boy was rushed to, confirmed that he was brought dead. “The paramedics in the ambulance had tried to revive the child. But, he was already dead,” said one official. The four-year-old boy, Pranav, was sitting on his mother Lakshmi’s lap when the four-wheel drive in which the family was dune-bashing met with the accident, the boy’s uncle told Khaleej Times . Pranav’s father Arun Kumar, a television cameraman who used to work for a prominent sports channel, and his brother Ajith Kumar organised the desert safari since their uncle and family had come over for a visit from India. While the brothers and their families travelled in one vehicle, the rest of the members were taken in another vehicle by the tour operator for dune bashing. “Our car had driven up a dune and it overturned when it was going down. I think the climb down the mound was steeper than what the driver assumed and he lost control,” said Ajith. He said the vehicle turned turtle a couple of times and Pranav was flung out of a side window due to the impact of the crash. He died of a head injury that caused profuse bleeding. All others, including Ajith’s two children, escaped with minor injuries. The Sharjah Police are investigating the case. The family’s friends remembered Pranav as a very smart and happy child. “They had just returned after a visit to India. That child was looking very cute after getting his head shaved in a famous temple,” said a family friend. He said that the boy was to start schooling in two weeks. “He had got admission in Delta School in Sharjah. This was not the first time they went for the desert safari. I think they have gone for it for some four to five times. It’s very tragic that his life was taken away like this,” he added. The shattered parents of the child are being taken care of by relatives and friends in Sharjah. The body of Pranav is likely to be flown to the family’s hometown in Alappuzha in the south Indian state of Kerala. news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Executive council nod for Dubai medical tourism plan
Executive council nod for Dubai medical tourism plan (Wam) / 20 March 2014 The DEC members discussed the plan to transform Dubai into a global hub for health tourism as proposed by the Dubai Health Authority. The Dubai Executive Council (DEC) on Wednesday approved a plan to implement the strategy to turn Dubai into a world hub for medical tourism. Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed; and Abdulla Al Shaibani, Secretary-General of the Dubai Executive Council, at the council meeting on Wednesday. — Wam A meeting of the council chaired by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, also discussed a proposal to invest wisely the plots of land set aside for housing with the aim of earning sustainable profits to support the housing projects in the emirate and to give a backup to the government. The DEC members discussed the plan to transform Dubai into a global hub for health tourism as proposed by the Dubai Health Authority. According to the plan, Dubai would provide selected, distinctive and quality health services at competitive prices which would attract tourists visiting the emirate. The plan aims to build a system which would boost excellence in the field of healthcare, which would attract people willing to get curative services to the emirate of Dubai. The Dubai Health Authority has laid down a comprehensive strategy to achieve a number of investment targets in health tourism in six medical areas of specialisation, including dentistry, plastic surgery, ophthalmic surgery, general medical checkups, orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, in addition to recuperation and healing from skin diseases. The executive plan has been developed to include four main pillars: competition and prioritisation; Dubai’s global status; increasing the number of tourists and medical revenues through delivery of high-quality medical services; and achieving medical sustainability. The other proposals and projects discussed during the meeting included the investment of land allocated for housing to achieve a sustainable income to support housing projects and government’s support for these projects and providing sites for the delivery of public services near residential complexes that the Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment has embarked on constructing. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
8,500 register for Colour Run in Capital on March 29
8,500 register for Colour Run in Capital on March 29 Silvia Radan / 20 March 2014 Participants of all ages are encouraged to run, walk or dance the five-kilometre track, passing through several colour stations to celebrate healthiness and happiness. . The first-ever Colour Run will be held in Abu Dhabi on Yas island on March 29. According to the organiser, IMG, it is not just a first for the UAE capital, but also it is the first time it is happening on a Formula1 racetrack. Dubbed as the “happiest 5 km on the planet”, Colour Run is a paint race that celebrates healthiness, happiness and individuality. There is no trophy, no timing and no actual racing involved in the run. Instead, participants of all ages are encouraged to run, walk or dance their five-kilometre track, passing through several colour stations, where vibrant coloured powder is thrown over them just for fun. At the finish line, all participants are rewarded with ever more red, blue and various other colours. “The Colour Run fun doesn’t have to end with the Finish Festival. Located just 45 minutes from Dubai, Yas Island and our official partners have everything you need to escape the everyday, and add some colour to what will make a spectacular weekend,” said Greg Sproule, managing director of IMG Middle East. On the day, Yas Waterworld will offer 50 per cent discount and Yas Viceroy hotel has a preferential rate via the official website thecolorrun.ae/Abu-Dhabi, as well as a free two nights stay through its Facebook page. With thousands of people expected to take part, Abu Dhabi Motors has just announced it is joining the part by launching its all-new Mini Hatch at next weekend’s Colour Run. The run will actually start when the Mini Hatch, wrapped in official branding, will lead waves of Colour Runners over the start line at the circuit. MINI will also sponsor the ‘Red Colour Station’, one of four spots along the course, where volunteers will shower runners with coloured powder. In the lead-up to the event, fans will have the opportunity to win a Mini for the weekend if they spot one of the three branded cars driving around key Abu Dhabi locations and send a picture to Mini’s social media channels. Colour Runners will also have the chance to win a Mini for the weekend on the day by taking the “craziest photo” at the Mini photo booth. Only launched in January 2012, Colour Run started with 50 events that year and moved up to over 100 runs in 2013. This year, at least 250 runs are projected, involving some three million participants worldwide. The Colour Run presented by Activelife burst into the Middle East in December 2013, when the sold-out Dubai event saw 9,000 Colour Runners dance, walk and run their way around the course. Among them, the youngest “runner” was a one-year-old and the oldest a 73-year-old. Worldwide, the oldest Colour Runner was 97-year-old Hilda from Louisville. Meant as a happy event, some 94 people took advantage of the occasion to propose marriage to their loved ones! During the Abu Dhabi run, about 3,000 kilogrammes of colour will be doused over runners. The organiser, though, assure participants all colours are 100 per cent natural, safe and food grade quality with the main ingredient being corn starch. After the event, the clean-up will take about two hours, using an industrial air blower and the stand-by sweep-up team. The 8,500 tickets are nearly sold out, but organisers are considering increasing the numbers. Each ticket is Dh140 and includes a pack with an event T-shirt, sweatband and colour pack. In keeping with The Colour Run’s tenet of giving back to the community, $1 from every registration will be donated to charity through Just Giving. silvia@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
